Proper exercise: what exercises can and should be done in the morning

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Modern people spend too little time on physical activity. This threatens not only weight gain, but also health problems. Due to an inactive lifestyle, the likelihood of developing health problems increases significantly. The cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and endocrine systems are most often at risk. The second most at-risk areas are the nervous, reproductive, and digestive systems. Low physical activity leads to decreased blood flow or blood stagnation (especially with a sedentary lifestyle, which is most often observed among office workers and drivers). As a result, tissues do not receive enough oxygen, harmful metabolic products accumulate in them, which is one of the factors in the development of a number of specific diseases.

Important! An inactive lifestyle combined with sedentary work is a provoking factor in the appearance of hemorrhoids, osteochondrosis, prostatitis, and leads to a decrease in sexual and reproductive function in both men and women.

To stay in good shape, maintain health and youth for as long as possible, you need to start your morning correctly. Morning exercises allow you to recharge your energy for the whole day. It consists of simple exercises that help stretch joints and muscles, speed up blood circulation, normalize metabolic processes, and give you energy for the whole day. This activity is useful for children, adults, and the elderly. The main thing is to know how to do exercises correctly and what exercises to include in the complex.

Interesting! During physical exercise, endorphin is released - the “happiness” hormone. It will not only lift your spirits, but also speed up metabolism, reduce pain sensitivity, stimulate the immune system, and increase libido.

What is it for, what is it useful for and what does daily gymnastics give in the morning

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Not all people understand why morning exercises are needed. It helps the body recover from sleep faster and gives a boost of energy for a long time. After physical activity, due to the increased flow of oxygen-rich and nutrient-rich blood to the organs, the work of the nervous system is activated, muscle tone increases, and the condition of the joints and organs of the endocrine system improves.

Interesting! Physical exercise has a particularly pronounced effect on the intestines. Since they accelerate intra-abdominal blood circulation, enhance the production of hormones and nerve impulses, stimulate peristalsis (rhythmic directed contractions of the intestinal wall), and the release of a number of biologically active compounds. Therefore, exercise is recommended for those who have intestinal problems.

Morning exercises have both a healing and preventive effect. After a light load, heart function improves, the tone of the vascular wall and immune reactions increase. However, to achieve a lasting effect, you need to do exercises regularly.

Since the human body quickly gets used to specific actions at a specific time (cyclical work), it is recommended to perform regular exercises at the same time. This will allow you to achieve maximum benefits from exercise.

Expert opinion

Evgeniy Kislitsa

Practicing surgeon. Certified massage master. Two-time vice-champion and heavyweight champion of regional kettlebell lifting competitions.

Carefully! Morning exercises should be abandoned in case of any disease occurring in the acute phase. Performing a morning set of exercises is contraindicated at high temperatures, bleeding (including in the first days of menstruation), problems with blood pressure, and the presence of malignant tumors. You need to exercise with caution in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

For children

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The benefits of morning exercises for young athletes are invaluable. If parents teach their children to exercise regularly, they are more likely to lead an active lifestyle in the future.

Such activity will cheer up the baby, the main thing is to turn on the music and show him the exercises. He will wake up faster and get a boost of energy for the whole day. Over time, the child will form the habit of waking up on his own at the same time and doing exercises.

Morning exercises will have a beneficial effect on the child’s motor skills and motor activity. It will help keep your weight normal and improve brain activity, which is good for your studies.

In addition, daily physical activity develops perseverance and discipline in children.

It is necessary to distinguish sports from physical education. Children, especially preschoolers and primary school age children, should be given moderate physical activity according to their age. Exercise should not become a workout. After all, excessive exercise in childhood can cause much more harm to the body than lack of physical activity.

Implications for human health

Exercise is beneficial for all people, regardless of age and level of physical fitness. The main goal of such exercises is to restore normal blood circulation and lymph flow after sleep. Gymnastics eliminates muscle tension that occurs as a result of being in one position for a long time, normalizes vascular tone and heartbeat.

The health benefits are as follows:

  • quickly awakening and getting a boost of energy;
  • activation of brain function;
  • strengthening the cardiovascular system;
  • restoration of lymph flow after sleep;
  • improving joint mobility;
  • toning the whole body;
  • improving oxygen supply to muscles and joints;
  • restoration of the spine and improvement of posture.

In the long term, morning exercises prevent cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the spine and the musculoskeletal system.

Doing simple exercises every morning is a good habit for health and longevity. In addition, gymnastics will relieve you of swelling, because the movement of lymph through the lymphatic vessels is restored, which reduces the accumulation of fluid in the tissues.

Exercise for health

This habit will also have a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Morning exercises help you quickly get into work, increase concentration, and activate your mental abilities.

At the same time, oxygen supply to tissues improves, the nervous system recovers faster and becomes more resistant to stressful situations. Any physical exercise stimulates the release of serotonin, as a result a person feels joy and a surge of strength.

Lesson objectives

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Light morning exercises last no longer than 10-15 minutes, but have a huge healing effect. It speeds up and facilitates the body’s entry into everyday activities.

Before morning exercises, the following tasks are faced:

  1. Awaken the body.
  2. Charge with vigor.
  3. Set it up in an effective way.
  4. Increase muscle tone, strengthen the musculoskeletal system.
  5. Activate the work of internal organs.
  6. Improve posture and gait.

Thus, this simple activity increases overall vitality, normalizes health, and puts you in a working mood.

The best options for physical activity in the morning for health, energy and vigor for the whole day

It is important to choose a complex that will help include the main muscle groups and many joints. A set of exercises will help you work your neck, shoulder girdle, arms, stomach, back, buttocks, and legs.

A home complex may consist of the following elements:

Worked area Exercises and technique
Neck
  1. Turn your head to the right, trying to see what is behind you, and then repeat to the left. Then slowly lower your head back and forth. It is important to feel muscle tension.
  2. Draw your head in a semicircle in the air clockwise and then counterclockwise. Then tilt your head back and repeat the movements.
Arms, shoulders
  1. Raise your hands clenched into fists up and down, and then rotate your fists clockwise and counterclockwise.
  2. Bend your arm at the elbow, rotate your forearms counterclockwise. Then stretch them forward, clench your fists, perform circular movements away from you, and then towards yourself.
  3. Bend your elbows, and then sharply move them behind your back, and then return them to your chest again. Then repeat the movement with straight limbs.
Frame
  1. Stretch your arms to the sides, tilt your torso left and right, and then back and forth. Try to reach the floor with your hands.
  2. Rotate your body behind and then counterclockwise.
  3. Twist the hoop around your waist.
Legs
  1. Sit down and perform circular movements with your feet in different directions. Then rotate your legs from the knee (lower part). Repeat for both limbs.
  2. Take a wide step forward with your leg, bend it at the knee, touch your foot with your hand, the limb behind is also bent, its knee on the floor. Raise the knee of your back leg and then lower it. Change the position of your legs, repeat.
  3. Squat down, keeping your back straight and arms extended forward. Make sure your heels don't leave the floor.
  4. Lying on the floor with your knees bent, raise your pelvis up, fixating for 3 seconds, and then lower it. Tighten the muscles of your buttocks and back.

These are basic elements that can be performed as the main morning complex or take some of them to warm up the muscles.

You can supplement the program with jumping rope, which accelerates fat burning, strengthens the heart muscle, and increases muscle tone.

The plank can replace all exercises if there is no time for full exercise. Rest on your elbows or palms, as well as your toes. Hold your body, tensing your abdominal muscles, back, and buttocks for 30-60 seconds or more. Make sure that the body forms a straight line. This exercise works all major muscle groups.

This is interesting! The best way to wake up, lose weight and improve muscle tone is jogging. Only training should be done on an empty stomach. 15 minutes of running at a free, easy or medium pace is enough.

The benefits of morning exercises

Immediately after waking up in the morning, our body is in a transitional state from rest and complete relaxation to wakefulness and activity. Morning exercises, better than hot coffee, will help your body wake up and get ready for full-time work, keep your body muscles toned and charge you with energy, vigor and a great mood for the whole day!

The benefits of morning physical activity also manifest itself in increasing the body's performance. Even a 10-minute exercise promotes intense blood circulation through the vessels

, as a result of which all tissues of the body are saturated with nutrients and oxygen, and most importantly,
the human brain is saturated with oxygen
, which leads to increased concentration, improved memory, and accelerated thought processes.

It is also worth noting that systematic morning exercises will have a positive effect not only on muscle development. Exercise helps improve posture, teaches you to keep your back and shoulders straight (and this is an excellent prevention of such common diseases as scoliosis and osteochondrosis).

Important:

During morning physical activity, the lungs are saturated with oxygen, while acid-reduction processes are stimulated, which perfectly helps us get rid of extra pounds, strengthen the muscles of the body and achieve coordinated functioning of internal organs.

The duration of morning exercises is usually 10-15 minutes

and includes exercises performed at a calm pace. With the right, systematic approach, even such short and light physical activity will help you recharge with energy, get rid of drowsiness and use all the muscles of the body.

Important:

Before starting your morning exercises, drink a glass of plain water.
We have selected for you some simple but effective exercises for morning exercises
.
When performing exercises, also pay attention to breathing
: it should be even, calm and deep.
1) It’s best to start your morning exercises with stretching.
To do this, clasp your fingers with your palms together, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, raise your arms up so that your palms look up and, without bending back or throwing your head back, pull your arms up from the chest as high as possible, stretching the spine and back muscles. Perform the exercise at least 5 times.

2)

We continue the warm-up
with rotational exercises for large joints
, such exercises help warm up the muscles and prepare them for further loads. We begin to warm up the joints from the head and neck: tilting the head left and right, rotating circular movements, nodding. Then we move on to rotating the hands, then knead the elbow joints in a circular motion clockwise and counterclockwise, ending with the shoulder joints. We continue the warm-up by rotating the pelvis and working out the joints of the legs: rotation of the hip, knee and ankle joints.

Stretching exercises

3) Let's start stretching:

feet shoulder-width apart, without bending your knees, lean forward, trying to reach your toes or the floor with your fingers, keep your back straight, try to press your chest to your knees. Next exercise: sit on the floor, legs extended straight in front of you, in this position try to reach your toes with your fingers, also keep your back straight. Next, lie on your back, arms along your body, with your legs try to reach as far behind your head as possible and touch your toes to the floor.

4) Continue charging with squats:

feet shoulder-width apart, squat so that your back remains straight, do not rush, the main thing is the quality, not the quantity, of squats performed. Start with 10 squats per day, gradually increasing the load by 1-2 squats per day.

5) It is best to end your morning activity with breathing exercises.

It is especially useful to perform breathing exercises in a ventilated room or in the fresh air. It is best to breathe through your nose.

Remember that exercises with increasing loads bring benefits, so experts advise alternating a set of exercises monthly, gradually increasing the load. Wake up with benefit!

To contact an individual consultant who will create a training and nutrition plan for you, follow the link.


Find out how to eat a balanced diet and control your weightLearn more February 2, 2020, 15:422017-02-02

Author: Be in Shape

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Nastya | 10/31/2019 21:44 Very good article, thanks to the author!

Several simple and effective programs for the whole body

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Classic exercises are suitable for athletes of any age. This ten-minute complex will help awaken all muscle groups, charge you with vigor and positivity.

Classic set of exercises:

  1. Tilt the head back and forth, left and right – 10 times.
  2. Cross your outstretched arms in front of you – 8 times.
  3. Move your arms back (one up, the other down) 7 times, changing the position of the limbs.
  4. Extend your arms, bent at the elbows – 8 times.
  5. Rotate your shoulders (arms bent at the elbows, fingers on the shoulders) back and forth – 8 times.
  6. Tilt your torso towards your knees (arms behind your head) – 6 times.
  7. Tilt your body left and right with your arm raised – 6 times.
  8. Raise your knees to your chest while standing, then right and left - 7 times.
  9. Squat with your legs wide apart – 8 times.
  10. Take steps focusing on your toes, heels, outer, inner part of the foot - 8 times.

The following short exercise will help people with poor physical fitness to wake up and gain strength:

  1. Lean forward, trying to touch your hands to the floor.
  2. Run in place with your knees raised.
  3. Swing your legs backwards.
  4. Move your leg to the side and back.
  5. Swing your legs back and forth, gradually increasing the amplitude.
  6. Lying with your knees bent, lift your torso.
  7. Roll on your spine, clasping your knees with your hands.
  8. Lying on your stomach, lift your torso, straighten your arms, try to tilt your head back (pelvis on the floor).
  9. Raise your buttocks, fixating on the top point.

All exercises are repeated 10 times. Charging takes 15 minutes.

A set of exercises for morning exercises will help more experienced athletes wake up the body:

  1. Lower your body, touching the floor with your hands – 10 times.
  2. Squat with small dumbbells – 15 times.
  3. Do push-ups – 15 times.
  4. Perform crunches 10 times.
  5. Raise your legs while lying down - 10 times.
  6. Raise your pelvis, hold for 30 seconds.
  7. Perform the plank – from 30 seconds.
  8. Rise onto your toes – 30 seconds.

A quick charge will help you work out all muscle groups in 15 minutes.

Charging for beginners

This option is the simplest, execution time is 15 minutes.

Exercise #1, bending

Place your feet shoulder-width apart, reach for the floor with your hands, try to reach it, then straighten up and place your hands on your sides.

Tilts

Exercise #2, steps in place

Walk in place, try to raise your knees to their maximum height.

Steps in place

Now place your palms on your buttocks and try to reach them with your heels, performing sweeping movements 10 times with each leg.

Overwhelming

Exercise #3, leg swings

Alternately swing your legs, each leg 10 times.

Exercise #4, abs

Lie down on the floor - it is advisable to lay a special mat. Begin to pull your legs towards your chest, first one at a time and then together. Each 10 times.

Abs exercise

Now, still lying on your back, simultaneously raise your legs and arms, trying to touch your legs with your hands.

Exercise #5, plank

The plank is one of the most difficult exercises for an untrained person who has poor muscle endurance. Try to start at a time that feels most comfortable to you, and then increase the duration daily.

Read more about the plank exercise.

You can stand on your fists, palms or elbows.

Plank

How to do it correctly at home

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Proper exercise will only benefit the body, the main thing is to adhere to the following rules:

  1. Train after water procedures on an empty stomach 15 minutes after waking up.
  2. Choose simple exercises (depending on your physical fitness).
  3. Perform gymnastics in a ventilated room or outdoors.
  4. Play some fun music.
  5. The main part of the complex consists of elements for warming up and stretching; it is better to abandon the power elements.
  6. Exercise no longer than 15-20 minutes.
  7. Breathe deeply, move smoothly.
  8. After training, take a contrast shower.

Complexes can be periodically changed or supplemented. Try to exercise at least 5 times a week, or better yet, every day.

How much load is recommended to include in a lesson?

To awaken the body, perform 7-10 movements to work all parts of the body. Start with simple elements, gradually increasing the load. After training, a person should feel light and cheerful, not tired. If it’s hard for you, then reduce the number of exercises or choose simpler ones.

If you haven’t played sports for a long time, then spend your first workouts no longer than 5 minutes. Over time, the duration of the lesson can be increased to 15-20 minutes, but no more than half an hour.

Where should you start warming up?

You can start training while still in bed, to wake up your body, stretch, arch your spine, turn your body, bend/extend your limbs.

Start your warm-up with joint exercises. First, perform circular movements with your neck, then with your arms, tilt and lift your body, rotate your waist, swing your legs. It is important to engage your entire body to speed up your circulation and metabolism.

What is recommended to end with?

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After completing the main complex, it is recommended to stretch the muscles. It is enough to perform 2-3 exercises for different parts of the body. This is necessary to relax the muscles and increase their elasticity. Therefore, after completing a block of exercises, properly stretch your arms, torso, and legs.

If in the middle of the complex the pace is the most intense, then towards the end of the workout try to reduce it. This is necessary so as not to overload the heart.

How to make a rough plan for beginners

Beginners need to understand how to organize a morning exercise plan. The training begins with a joint warm-up. Include several exercises for all parts of the body. These movements will help prepare your muscles and joints for stress.

To speed up metabolic processes and blood flow, supplement the program with explosive exercise. This could be jump squats, jumping jacks, push-ups with a clap in the air, etc.

Be sure to include 2-3 elements in the complex to stretch muscle fibers. After performing them, the muscles lengthen, become more elastic, and pain decreases.

The optimal duration of morning exercises is from 15 to 20 minutes.

Morning exercises: basic rules and recommended exercises

There is another common misconception. Some people are sure that it is not necessary to do exercises in the morning. You can practice physical activity in the afternoon and even in the evening. If we are talking about morning exercises, then all experts agree on one thing: it should be done in the morning, after waking up. After all, the main goal of such gymnastics is to charge a person with vivacity and energy for the whole day.

5 important recommendations

To maximize the benefits of morning exercises, you must follow the following rules.

Duration of gymnastics

For those who are just starting to introduce morning exercises into their lives, it is recommended to plan 10-minute exercise. Over time, you can increase the time to 15 minutes. When the body fully adapts to the stress (after approximately 3-6 months), begin to increase the charging time to half an hour.

Preparing to charge

You should not start gymnastics immediately after getting out of bed. The body still continues to sleep. Such loads will cause discomfort. Initially, you need to cheer up a little. To do this, it is recommended to wash your face and brush your teeth.

Be sure to drink a glass of water. The fluid entering the body will thin the blood. Thanks to this, it will be possible to normalize the load on the heart and blood vessels. But you shouldn’t have a snack before exercise. Perform all exercises on an empty stomach.

It is recommended to have breakfast 20 minutes after finishing your morning exercises.

Add emotions

Exercise should not only invigorate, but also improve your mood. Therefore, turn on your favorite music, saturate the air with aromatic oils (just don’t overdo it) and do gymnastics. After physical education, be sure to praise yourself, celebrate all your achievements and don’t forget about encouragement.

To ensure that charging brings significant benefits to the body, first ventilate the room. This can be done while you wash your face. The influx of fresh air will saturate the body with more oxygen.

Regularity of classes

If you do exercises from time to time, then you should not hope for positive results. Only daily exercise will bring benefits. Moreover, the first results will become noticeable after 5-6 weeks of regular training.

At this time, people usually note a decrease in stress levels, a positive attitude, and a decrease in excitability and irritability. Practitioners of morning exercises claim that by the 5-6th week, performance increases, discipline and perseverance increase. People become stronger and practically do not catch colds.

Methodology Lee Holden

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Lee Holden's gymnastics is an adapted version of qigong (oriental gymnastics). It helps improve physical condition, fight stress, and lose weight. According to the author of the technique, it helps restore the balance between physical and spiritual states.

The Lee Holden complex consists of simple exercises. For exercise to be beneficial, you need to breathe with the lower abdomen, concentrate on your sensations during the exercises, and include an energetic massage in the program.

Lee Holden's gymnastics consists of the following elements:

  1. While standing, turn your torso left and right, bending your arms, patting your lower back and stomach with them.
  2. Stand with your arms above your head, exhaling and squatting, smoothly lowering your limbs. As you exhale, rise again.
  3. Lightly tap with your fists and palms in the area of ​​the kidneys, inner thighs, chest, shoulders (inside and out), and neck.
  4. Place your hands in front of you, palms facing up, thumbs extended. As you inhale, raise your arms, and while exhaling, lower them to chest level.
  5. The position of the hands is the same, smoothly spread them, and then bring them together. In the same position, raise them to chest level and lower them.
  6. Connect your legs, place one hand on the center of your stomach, and draw a semicircle in the air with the other. As you inhale, move it in a circular motion, and as you exhale, lower it. So describe circles with each limb in turn.

These exercises help improve physical fitness, give harmony and vigor.

How to motivate yourself to do morning exercises

Taking the first step towards change is always very difficult, especially when it comes to getting up early to do gymnastics. Here are some effective ideas to quickly develop the healthy habit of getting up and exercising in the morning:

  • We put the alarm clock in another place. As a rule, it is placed next to you on the nightstand, at the head of the head. Try moving the device to another location away from the bed. When the alarm starts ringing, you will have to get up and walk to turn it off. And this is a great opportunity to finally “wake up”.
  • Enlist the support of your family and friends. It is much easier to start doing something when you have support around you. Try doing exercises in the morning all together. This will not only fill you with confidence in your abilities, but will also bring you closer together in achieving a common goal.

Helpful advice. If you live alone, then contact friends and relatives via video conference. The more people who join morning exercises with you, the more interesting it will be.

  • Make plans, record goals that need to be achieved. Determine one day when you will set yourself goals for the coming week (or several days). Be sure to plan your actions clearly, even down to indicating the time when you will perform the exercises.
  • Make a list of music tracks that you will practice to. Music has always been a great motivator. Choose only incendiary compositions that will help you tune in to the right mood and do exercises with great enthusiasm. From the first minutes of your favorite song, all fatigue and drowsiness will disappear.
  • Prepare yourself a place to charge. It is important that the environment is as comfortable as possible and convenient for performing the entire range of morning exercises. This will allow you to spend less time preparing for the training process. Make sure you have a rug and various equipment in advance.
  • Watch your diet. It is absolutely forbidden to eat too much immediately after waking up. But, if you feel very hungry, then before training you can eat something light, for example, fruit, a few nuts. You can have a full breakfast after exercise. Do not forget that for the best effect, the menu should be composed of healthy, low-fat dishes. Ideally, create the right menu for a week or a month.
  • Don't forget to praise yourself. How nice it is to achieve your goals. And in this case this is also relevant. If you have successfully completed all your tasks for the week, reward yourself with something enjoyable, such as going to the nail salon, visiting your favorite restaurant, or shopping. Buying new sportswear for more comfortable physical activity will also work great.
  • Give yourself time to get used to it. Waking up in the morning is difficult. If you haven’t done this before, you don’t need to force your body, forcing it to suddenly “get up” one fine day without preparation and the right attitude. Didn't work out in the first week? Don't give up, but give yourself time to get used to the new schedule. In the future, you will learn to easily and cheerfully wake up to an alarm clock to do your favorite exercises.

Main conclusions

Morning exercises will only be beneficial if a person follows these recommendations:

  1. Exercise on an empty stomach after water procedures.
  2. Include simple exercises in the complex.
  3. Do exercises that work all parts of your body.
  4. Warm up before performing the basic elements, and stretch after them.
  5. Breathe deeply, move smoothly.
  6. Train for no longer than half an hour.
  7. Do the exercises regularly (at least 5 times a week).

Concentrate on your feelings in order to enjoy the process, then morning exercises will give you vigor and health.

A set of physical exercises

Even a person who has never played sports can master an easy but effective set of exercises. It is suitable even for the laziest. A seven-minute exercise, during which all parts of the body are worked out, consists of 7 exercises. Thus, only 1 minute is allotted to perform each movement.

The complex includes:

  1. Neck exercises. Stand up straight, bring your shoulder blades together. Tilt your head to the right and left 5 times, then forward and backward - also 5 times. Perform movements smoothly, without jerking or sharp turns, so as not to damage the soft cervical vertebrae.
  2. Exercises for shoulders and hands. Extend your arms in front of you, clasping your fingers. Perform hand rotations left and right 5 times. Then, without changing position, holding your arms opposite your chest, perform rotational movements with your shoulders in both directions, also 5 times.
  3. Exercises for the lower back, pelvis and entire core. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and extend your arms along your body. Perform rotational movements with the pelvis, helping yourself with the whole body, first clockwise, then counterclockwise.
  4. Back bends. Spread your legs wide apart. Perform 5 bends forward, left and right, trying to place your palms on the floor.
  5. Exercises for the knees and hip joint. Raise one bent leg as high as possible, then lower it to the floor and lift the other leg. Perform these steps in place for 30 seconds. Then raise your legs so that your heel touches your buttock. Repeat also for 30 seconds.
  6. Exercises for the abs and spine. Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms forward. Raise your arms, lifting your upper back, keeping your hips pressed to the floor. Stay in this position for 10 seconds, then lower your hands to the floor. Repeat 5 times. Option for advanced: simultaneously lift your arms and legs off the floor, bending back at the waist.
  7. Dynamic bar. Rest your palms and toes on the floor, tighten your abs and buttocks so that your body is extended in one line. Raise one leg up, leave the other on the floor. Repeat for the other leg. Complete 10 times in total. You can do this movement with your hands: one hand is extended forward, the other is on the floor.

All the exercises are simple and anyone can do them correctly. After 2-3 weeks, exercise will become a habit and will seem very easy. For those who want to make gymnastics as difficult as possible, you can diversify the complex with stretching and exercises with dumbbells to strengthen your back.

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